• Note: Ratings are only available to Packer Insider subscribers. Insider subscriptions are $6.95 per month and $44.95 per year. To join, click here.

Green Bay - His memory is hazy. Derek Sherrod can't exactly remember the last time he lined up at offensive guard. Throughout college at Mississippi State he was a tackle. Every game, no questions asked.

So for a few moments, he was stumped.

"Maybe I played (guard) back in high school a little bit," Sherrod said.

Two practices in, he's brushing away the cobwebs. With Daryn Colledge gone to the Arizona Cardinals, left guard is one of the few starting positions up for grabs. Sherrod was drafted in the first round as a potential heir to Chad Clifton. But Saturday and Sunday he has worked with the first team at guard.

Sherrod has a left tackle's physique. Known as a nimble pass blocker in college, he's 6-foot-5, 320 pounds. In any pickup basketball game, he's the first overall pick. Though the tackle-to-guard shift is certainly nothing new in Green Bay, it could be quite an adjustment. Sherrod played 49 games (47 starts) on the outside with Mississippi State. With a shrug, Sherrod says it's no big deal.

"It's not too much of a difference going from tackle," said Sherrod, who trained with the Mississippi State football team all off-season. "You have to know all the positions anyways. It's just a little bit different with technique."

Here in Green Bay, coach Mike McCarthy said it's easier to play on the outside than the inside. The closer linemen are to the football, the more duties they have. Different players - notably T.J. Lang and Nick McDonald - will be rotated into the left guard spot through camp. Whoever excels will see more reps at practice. For now, Sherrod has the hot hand.

"I thought (Sherrod) did OK with this being his first time out there playing guard," McCarthy said. "There's a lot of information and a lot of communication going on. It's going to take some time and it's going to take some reps."

When the Packers drafted him, Sherrod had no clue the team would move him to guard. He was able to talk to coaches briefly after the draft when the lockout was lifted but not about the game plan. Saturday's audition - albeit in helmets - was a total surprise. For now, he has no preference. The biggest difference is working in tandem with the center each play.

Sherrod doesn't feel too uncomfortable yet.

"It shouldn't be too much of a transition, maybe alternating your stance a little bit," Sherrod said. "In tackle, you're in a two-point and a three-point stance. At guard, you're always in a three-point."

Lang, the de facto veteran in this left-guard derby, was not surprised that coaches gave Sherrod the nod first. Rookies need reps, he says. No need to read too much into anything.

A utility player at both guard and tackle the last two seasons, Lang has been inconsistent. This could be a make-or-break camp for him. With McDonald sitting in the next locker, his nose buried in a playbook, Lang promised the battle will be a long one.

"The depth chart is something we can't control," he said. "We'll just go where they want us to go and try to do our best when we get the opportunity. It's a competition. Nobody will win in the first day or two."

Underwood settles in: Football? Brandon Underwood will talk about that all day. Embroiled in another off-field incident, the defensive back's existence in Green Bay is head-scratching to some.

Recently moved back to safety, Underwood is refreshed. With many other defensive backs gone during Sunday's media session, he continued to study up in his locker.

"I'm always looking at this because if you're going into a gun fight, you need to have some ammo," Underwood said. "I'm getting ready for these meetings, just making sure I look over all my stuff. If you don't know it, you won't be out there."

He would know. A year ago, Underwood pleaded no contest to one count of prostitution-nonmarital sexual intercourse. This summer, Underwood pleaded not guilty to a count of disorderly conduct after allegedly ripping the necklace off his wife, Brandie, and pushing her to the ground. The two had filed for divorce two months prior.

But enough of that, Underwood says. He hopes this move to safety saves his job in Green Bay. On Sunday, he worked with the second unit and held up well. Attention to detail changes at safety as Underwood is required to read and react more.

"I have a lot of great people I can watch," Underwood said. "Nick, Pep, Morgan, Levine, they all know what's going on out there, so it helps me . . . The little things. If I got into details about every little thing we'd be here all day.

"I've always had urgency. Nothing is ever guaranteed. I'm not guaranteed to make the team. Some other safety behind the starters could step up. That's the nature of the game."

Barnett to Bills: Less than a week ago, Nick Barnett hopped in his car and left Lambeau Field for the final time. Apparently, he was shuffling off to Buffalo. On Sunday, the eight-year veteran reportedly reached a three-year, $12 million deal with the Bills ($6 million guaranteed).

The linebacker (sort of) broke the news on Twitter with the tweet, "GOBILLS." In Buffalo, he'll replace Paul Posluszny, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.